Civil Constitution of the Clergy

The Civil Constitution of the Clergy was a 12 July 1790 law that was passed by the government of the First French Republic with the goal of reorganizing the Catholic church in France on a national basis. The civil constitution attempted to subordinate the church to the government, and it outlawed monastic orders and attempted to calm down the clergy after the government confiscated their lands. The civil constitution instead led to a schism within the church and led to conservative Catholics turning against the French Revolution.